Surface mount circuit board technology has led to improvements in electronic component density, lower costs, and manufacturing simplicity.
High power electronic components such as power transistors and power devices commonly benefit from a heat sink that attaches to the component to ensure proper operation. Heat sinks can also improve performance of lower power devices. Heat sinks capable of attaining sufficient cooling are typically a relatively large component on a circuit board. One problem with usage of heat sinks in surface mount technology is the difficulty in fastening a large heat sink to the board using surface mount technology. Another problem is that the higher component density enabled by surface mount technology leaves little available space for placement of heat sinks. A further problem is that the heat sink significantly increases the profile or height of components and devices attached to the board, impeding the configuration of compact designs.